Five questions for Dennis Montano

Dennis Montano: Programmer and amateur musician from Malta who recently released his first CD

1 What is your new album like?

It’s called “Moving to Montano,” which is a play on Frank Zappa’s lyric “Moving to Montana.” The music is fusion with a rock and roll beat; jazz chords with a rock rhythm. Some songs are instrumental; some have lyrics I wrote based on things that have happened to me. My two sons, Marc and Todd, play drums and bass respectively on the CD. Bill Lawrence also plays bass, and Joe Linville plays saxophone. I play guitar and do vocals. I like jazz, funk and blues; I like Steely Dan. I write lyrics that are a slice of my life.

2 How did you get started?

I have no formal training; I just always had music in me. As a teenager on Long Island, I taught myself to play guitar and sing background vocals. I was in a lot of rock cover bands — the first one was called Flagg. I was 16, too young to play in bars, but the managers would let me in anyway and tell my bandmates, “Just don’t let the kid drink.” I learned the most just by playing with people, especially keyboardists. Keyboardists make you learn music theory.

3 Is your whole family involved with music?

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My kids were all born and raised here. My son Todd, 29, plays bass and guitar. He’s a software programmer for Rational Retention, and he’ll be getting married in September. My son Marc, 27, took percussion lessons. He’s an excellent drummer, and he works as a manager at Price Chopper. My daughter, Lucille, is 19 and attending Hudson Valley Community College. She took singing lessons, and now performs and does community theater. I’m proud of them, and they’re proud of me. I think they have a great work ethic and a lot of creativity. My wife, Bess, is one of the smartest people I know; she’s my muse. She’s a nurse at Albany Medical Center. She’s not musical herself, but she supports all the family musicians, especially by getting her friends to come out and hear us.

4 What challenges did you face in making your CD?

It was a lot of work. It’s hard to get the right musicians, even for pay. So I ended up making the album all about me: my songwriting, my arrangements, my playing. I even took on the singing — I figured I can sing at least as well as Bob Dylan. Putting down the tracks takes a long time; layers on layers of recording to paint the colors of the background.

5 Why make your musical mark right now?

Now is when you have the time. As a young adult, you are probably starting a career and a family. With little kids, it’s hard to focus on creative projects. Now that my children are grown, I can focus on my dreams. There are a lot of people like me out there. Currently, I don’t want to get a band together and play gigs. I want to have separately hired musicians come play with me: They come in; I pay them; it’s more dependable with less drama. I’m looking forward to playing even more music when I retire. For now, to buy “Moving to Montano,” please see www.cdbaby.com/cd/dennismontano.